August 6, 2009

I’ve been watching Survivorman non-stop here in this final stretch to get SPY GUY #1 done. For some reason I find it very comforting. Here is the Baffin Island episode (which reminds me of Greg Hyland’s Lethargic Lad Survivor comic from way back in 2001-04-17 – I’d provide a link for the strip but he’s taken it down – this is the book it’s reprinted in).

“I’m here to survive for seven days, alone, without food, with very little gear, and no camera crew, in the basement, at Ultraist Studios.”

It’d be funny to make a short parody video to post, but I don’t have the time for it – heck, I shouldn’t even be blog journalling.

January 5, 2009

I have been working on my own list of “action items” to make this world a better place, and to make living in it a more enjoyable experience, and found this list created by the folks at Chycho.com, and since many of the points mirror conclusions that I’ve come to myself, I thought it would be worth while to post below, as this list is already typed and coherent.

Below are some suggestions and resources by Chycho.com to help in bringing about a positive change:

Spend time with who and what you love. Surrounding ourselves with love should help us to remember the beauty of life.

Learn to filter and recognize propaganda. It is corporations that profit from wars, not individuals. Always apply the filter: ‘Ownership determines content’. “If we accept that it is desirable for individuals to practice moral agency as fully as possible, then we should seek to create a different kind of media system.”

Write, call, and personally contact your representatives in government ( US and Canada), demanding that they begin to represent you and your family, not corporate money. Realize that most of our representatives have not even begun to grasp the “terminal” path that we are on.

Not only should you be consuming less and locally, but also producing locally. Corporations over the years have destroyed the infrastructure of local economies, but it is time for us to rebuild. Additional information at Post Carbon Institute, People and Planet, BALLE, 100 Mile diet and numerous other sources available on the Internet.

Reduce your dependency on oil by using public transportation and or alternative means of transportation. See Critical Mass for additional information.

Downsize your car and/or convert to hybrid transportation. The sooner you do this the better. This will not only save you money on fuel, it will also allow you to sell your large gas-guzzler before the rise in fuel prices reduces the value of your car to nothing. And you better hurry, because the waiting lists for hybrid cars are long and used models are selling for more then the new cars.

If you are working for an organization which is actively supporting war then try to find a different occupation which does not require of you to promote the destruction of humanity.

December 17, 2008

The Kirkman/Bendis Debates: Let’s Do the Math
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on November 25, 2008
by Todd Allen

Over the summer you might have stumbled onto Robert Kirkman’s plea for comics creators to leave DC and Marvel behind for independent publishing (or to come to Image, if you read it with a cynical view). You may also have heard that Brian Bendis attempted to call BS on Kirkman’s plea and debated him on the topic.

While the debate didn’t have a clear winner, the stances were clear: Kirkman wishes more creators at DC and Marvel realized how much money they could make by going independent. Bendis thinks Kirkman’s sales are too high to be a reasonable example, finds his Marvel deal (including a page rate, royalties and placing Powers at Icon) preferable and kept talking about the value of trade paperback reprints.

Unfortunately, nobody really got into the numbers of the situation, despite reports of Kirkman having some charts on hand. Fortunately for you, I don’t fear math, so let’s find out what you could reasonably expect to make as a comic creator under the Image deal.

Roll them up.
This follow up story originally appeared in PVP Online on November 27th, 2008
by Scott Kurtz

So, let’s get to first things first: Are Todd’s numbers right for PvP? Yes. PvP sells on average around 3k a month. It breaks even and makes anywhere from 300-500 bucks for me per issue. So to categorize the monthly title as “making beer money” is pretty accurate. Used to be a lot more but I’ve done a lot to ruin that profit margin. Here are some tips for those of you who want to make your own monthly titles.

June 6, 2008

The Bilderberg Group, which convened for the first time in 1954 in Holland, is considered the most powerful decision-making organization in the world. The Bilderberg Group is a genuine “shadow government” of the West that, some critics say, decides the fate of the world to suit the interests of the restricted oligarchy it represents.

For more information check out Jim Tucker’s Bilderberg Diary, The True Story of the Bilderberg Group by Daniel Estulin and ENDGAME: Blueprint for Global Enslavement by Alex Jones.

Then, there is a feature over at the Comic Book Resources called Studio Tours, which gives you a glimps into the studios of some of todays top artists. This link will take you to Stuart Immonen, and then you can follow the additional links at the bottom of the article for everyone else.

September 2, 2007

I have been craving more Curb Your Enthusiasm ever since I finished watching the previous 5 seasons on DVD. Add to that the recent divorce (which I thought would make perfect Curb fodder) and I was practically bursting at the seams. It doesn’t get any more George Costanza than that. And, now HBO tells me that Season 6 begins next week! Best news I’ve heard all day!